logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2022
10m 14s

The Higgs Boson: A scientific discovery ...

Bbc World Service
About this episode

It is 10 years since scientists in Geneva said they believed they had found the Higgs boson - known by some as the God particle. In July 2012 after more than 40 years of searching, two teams on different experiments at the Large Hadron Collider confirmed the existence of the particle which gives everything mass. Dr André David from CERN speaks to Laura Jones.

(Image: Artistic view of the Brout-Englert-Higgs Field. Credit: CERN)

Up next
Apr 2025
The Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese VietCong guerrillas built a vast network of tunnels in the south of the country as part of the insurgency against the South Vietnamese government and their American allies. The tunnel network was a key base and shelter for the North Vietna ... Show More
9m 43s
Today
Finding the den of the Tsavo man-eaters
In 1997, scientists travelled to Tsavo, Kenya, in search of a cave believed to have been the den of the man-eating lions that terrorised railway workers in 1898.The two lions stalked Indian and African men building the Uganda Railway, dragging victims from their tents at night. I ... Show More
11 m
Apr 2026
The world's first perfume archive
On 26 April 1990, the world's first perfume archive opened in Versailles, France.The idea behind L'Osmothèque was to create a collection of scents and preserve their memory.Perfumer Jean Claude Ellena was one of the team who created it.He speaks to Jen Dale about how L'Osmothèque ... Show More
10m 6s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2012
Higgs boson-like particle discovery claimed at the Large Hadron Collider
Scientists at the Large Hadron Collider claim the discovery of the Higgs boson particle. Alan Barr of Oxford's Physics department, UK physics coordinator for LHC's ATLAS experiment, describes what it means for science. 
27m 49s
Jul 2022
The mysterious particles of physics, part 1
The machine that discovered the Higgs Boson 10 years ago is about to restart after a massive upgrade, to dig deeper into the heart of matter and the nature of the Universe.Roland Pease returns to CERN’s 27-kilometre Large Hadron Collider (LHC) dug deeper under the Swiss-French bo ... Show More
30m 11s
Nov 2025
170. Finding the God Particle
tail spinning
59m 10s
Jul 2022
The mysterious particles of physics, part 3
The smaller the thing you look at, the bigger the microscope you need to use. That’s why the circular Large Hadron Collider at CERN, where they discovered the Higgs boson is 27 kilometres long, and its detectors tens of metres across. But to dig deeper still into the secrets of t ... Show More
27m 36s
Jul 2012
There Once Was a Boson Named Higgs
<p>If you're tired of hearing about the Higgs "don't-call-me-a-god-particle" Boson but still want to know what it is, then this is the podcast episode for you. In this episode, Robert and Julie recount our hunt for the Higgs and what it means for science.</p><p> </p> Learn more a ... Show More
34m 55s
Apr 2019
Will we ever know what the universe is made of?
We are all made of particles – but what are particles made of? It’s a question that’s been perplexing scientists for centuries - for so long, in fact, that listener Doug in Canada wants to know if there’s a limit to how much they can ever discover. CrowdScience heads out to CERN, ... Show More
35m 25s